A basic input/output system (BIOS) is currently used as boot firmware of a computer system. However, since the BIOS cannot support 64 bit personal computers or ARM based devices, an extensible firmware interface (EFI) has been developed to overcome the shortcomings of the BIOS. The EFI is implemented as an open source to become a unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI) and may be used to replace the BIOS.
The Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) specification provides an open standard for device configuration and power management by the operating system (OS). ACPI defines platform-independent interfaces for hardware discovery, configuration, power management and monitoring. With the intention of replacing Advanced Power Management, the MultiProcessor Specification and the Plug and Play BIOS Specification, the ACPI standard brings power management under the control of the OS, as opposed to the previous BIOS-central system which relied on platform-specific firmware to determine power management and configuration policy.